January 2024

So many fireworks for the New Year!

Our first hike of the new year with our surf group- Wahiawa Hills Trail. I am so impressed with Jane and her endurance with this hike. There were lots of ups and downs and river crossings.

Bryan's sister Becky and family came to visit. We met them at Hanauma Bay for some snorkeling.

Kristi and I took the girls to the aquarium over the winter break. Nothing too impressive there, unfortunately. 

A monk seal on Ka'ena Point Trail.

Jane was nominated Rainbow of the 2nd quarter! 

I was able to accompany Jane and her class on a field trip to Wildlife Refuge Honouluili in Pearl Harbor. 

Bryan completed a Master Repel Course.

Bryan also graduated from Jungle School. 

He is the most dedicated solider in his field. 

He is always willing to try new things.

I love him.

Roller skating date with Kate.

We celebrated Howie's 3rd birthday with a stuffed duck. 

New Year and Stuttgart

We celebrated the New Year at home and went to bed early.  I am not the biggest fan of staying up late, just to be physically exhausted the next morning.  No matter what time Kate goes to bed, she will still wake up at 7 AM.  Although, we did wake up at midnight to fireworks surrounding our house.  These Germans sure know how to light up the night and party! 

 The next day we went on a hike through our neighboring forest.  The snow was starting to melt, so we didn't really have to wear our snowshoes.  Kate enjoys playing in the snow, as long as her hands stay warm.

 We spent three days in Stuttgart, Germany.  We took Kate iceskating for the first time.  She did fantastic.  They have these little chairs that you can either sit on and be pushed or hold onto the back for balance to skate.  She started to have more confidence by the end saying "Kate do it!"

We also went to the zoo which worked out great because it rained ALL DAY!  The Stuttgart zoo is perfect for rainy weather because you can go inside the building on the other side of the outdoor cage and see all the animals hiding from the rain themselves.  I think the hippopotamus was our favorite.  He would hid in the water and then come up and spray the crowd with dirty water.

Old Town Stuttgart.  One of the buildings in the city is dedicated to Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, the man responsible for attempting to assassinate Hitler.  If you haven't seen the movie Valkyrie, I highly recommend.

 Bryan and Kate in front of the pond at New Castle.  

Happy New Years! (Our Christmas Card)

We want to wish you a Happy New Year and hope your Christmas was merry and full of magic.



Not too many changes for us. Bryan is in his 3rd year of optometry school in Houston. Only 16 more months to go! He has plans for internships in Temple, Texas (near me!) and Tahlaquah, Oklahoma for his fourth and last year. I continue to work on the intensive care unit at Fort Hood and have plans to advance my career at Fort Lewis, Washington with the Army's Critical Care Nursing Course for 4 months.



We were able to enjoy some vacation time between Bryan's school semesters at the Havasupai Reservation, Arizona with family in May. What an enchanted off-the-map village! My mom offered Bryan a tile job in Utah to get both of us out in August. We had fun visiting with family and hiking the canyons. For Christmas, we splurged on a Western Caribbean Cruise for our 5 year anniversary. We have talked about it for 3 years now, and finally did it! Totally worth every penny.



We hope you make 2011 the best year yet! We'll see what surprises it brings for you and your family.



Love, Bryan & Rebekah Ahlborn